Honeycomb cellular structures are used in vehicular exhaust systems to reduce pollutants. Such structures are generally formed by extrusion and comprise a network of interconnected web walls that form a matrix of elongated, gas-conducting cells which may be square, octagonal, hexagonal, or the like. In some examples, the network of web walls may be surrounded by a cylindrical outer skin that is integrally connected to the outer edges of the web walls to form a cylindrical structure having opposing inlet and outlet end faces for receiving and expelling exhaust gases through the matrix of cells.
Honeycomb cellular structures are typically inspected to ensure they meet specifications for cell shape, cell size, web-wall thickness, skin integrity, etc., and to ensure they are free of defects. However, given the large number of cells, it takes a significant amount of time to inspect a single honeycomb cellular structure using inspection methods and systems known in the art. Moreover, the honeycomb cellular structure may be subjected to certain operating conditions under which it must withstand high levels of pressure or force. The pressure that honeycomb cellular structure can withstand is conventionally determined by destroying the structure and results in a wasted part. Moreover, the destroyed honeycomb cellular structure might not correctly predict the strength of a different cellular structure which may have minute structural differences that are hard to observe. Therefore, a need exists for a method and an apparatus that can quickly perform inspection on a ceramic honeycomb structure and predict at the manufacturing stage whether the ceramic honeycomb structure can withstand high levels of pressure or force without destruction of the honeycomb structure.